Academic Status

Academic status is advisory information to students about their current academic level of performance at Savannah Technical College. The academic status is based on a 4.0 grading system when calculating the grade point average (GPA). A student attending the college is expected to meet specific academic standards. These standards stress the importance of successful student performance.

Good Academic Standing

A student is considered in good academic standing if he/she maintains a GPA of 2.0 or above.

Academic Warning

Students who fail to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 will be placed on academic warning.

Academic Suspension

Students who are on academic warning and fail to attain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 will be placed on academic suspension and subsequently dismissed from the College. The dismissed student may appeal to their Academic Dean fore reinstatement to the college.

Re-Admission From Academic Suspension

Students who are academically suspended and want to re-enter a program must petition the Academic Dean by scheduling an appointment through the Dean’s Assistant. Upon meeting with the Academic Dean the following steps will be taken:

1. The student will fill out an academic improvement plan covering potential areas necessary to regain an overall 2.0 GPA (i.e., limited course registration, tutorial assistance, study skills assistance, reduced work hours).
2. The Academic Dean will review the aforementioned academic improvement plan and will either approve or deny the student’s request to be reinstated to the College.
3. Should specific College support offices be referenced in the academic improvement plan, the Academic Dean will follow-up to ensure that the student has complied with the agreed upon stipulations for reinstatement.
4. If approved, a copy of the academic improvement plan will be forwarded to the Registrar processing.

Academic Suspension Appeal Process

Students may appeal the academic suspension before the beginning of the next semester by writing a letter to the Academic Dean or designee and by scheduling an appointment through the Dean’s Assistant. If the Academic Dean notes extenuating circumstances for the academic suspension, the suspension may be overturned for one semester. The decision of the Academic Dean may be appealed to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A student who is unsuccessful passing an AHS or program specific course (MAS, SUR, DEN, NSG, or NPT) in any Health Science degree/diploma program may repeat the course once. However, if a second failure occurs in that course or any other AHS or program specific course, the student will be dropped from the program. The student must then wait for one calendar year before reapplying for re-entry into the program, or any other Health Science degree/diploma program. Academic suspension will be noted on the student’s transcript.

Attendance Policy

Attendance/Withdrawal
Students are expected to be punctual and attend all classes for which they are registered. Attendance requirements vary by program and will be clearly stated on the course syllabus. Course participation includes completing activities such as submitting assignments, taking exams/quizzes, interactive tutorials or computer-assisted instruction. Students enrolled in online courses are expected to participate in the online class by completing assignments, contributing to online discussions, and initiating contact with a faculty member. Logging into the online class does not establish student enrollment and participation in the course.

Students must establish enrollment and course participation each semester before financial aid funds are disbursed. Student attendance will be monitored for the first seven (7) calendar days of each semester. Monitoring attendance beyond the seventh day is at the instructor’s discretion.

No Show Status
Students are expected to attend all classes for which they are registered. It is the student’s responsibility to drop or withdraw from any course they are not attending. Students who do not establish attendance in at least one class session will be reported as a No Show for the course and if applicable, financial aid will be reduced accordingly.

Class Records
The class grade book maintained by the instructor is the official record for all students in a class. It is the official record in all matters pertaining to entrance, attendance, and completion.

Programs Resulting in Licensure
Any student enrolled in any program in a field requiring licensure will be required to make up clinical hours in accordance with the program’s policy. Otherwise, consent papers to take the licensing or certification examination will not be signed by the instructor of that program. It is the responsibility of the student to read and comply with the attendance policies; attendance policies of programs in fields requiring licensure may supersede those of STC.

Excused Absences
Military Service/Training, School Sponsored Activities, and Jury Summons (attendance at a legal proceeding in which the student has been charged in not included) will not be counted as absences if substantiating documentation is submitted to the instructor before such events occur. Excused absences will not be used as a basis for withdrawing a student from class or in determining a student’s Work Ethics Grade. A student who is granted an excused absence will be responsible for completing all work as assigned by the instructor in order to successfully complete the class. Employment, child-care issues, child support and custody issues, divorce issues, and juvenile court legal issues are not considered to be excused absences.

Drop (No Harm No Foul Period)/Add Period
The Drop Period (the first three instructional days of the term) and the Add Period (the first seven calendar days of the term) are different. A student may drop or add a course(s) without academic penalty during the drop period designated in the official school calendar. However, progression rate and financial aid eligibility will be affected. A student may also add a course(s) during the add period designated in the official school calendar. Dropped courses after the end of the drop period will be assigned a grade of “W”, “WF”, or “WP” based on the official date of withdrawal and performance of the student up to that time. Any student requesting to drop/add classes must see his/her instructor and program advisor.

Unofficial Withdrawal
Students who stop completing assignments, attending class, or participating in online discussions and assignments will be considered unofficially withdrawn. Unofficial withdrawals will be reported to the Registrar by the instructor at the 60% point of the semester. Students are strongly encouraged to follow the Official Withdrawal process below in order to minimize adverse effects to their academic standing.

Official Withdrawal from a Course
Students may withdraw from a course without academic penalty up through the 60% point of the term. After the 60% point, grades of WP or WF will be assigned and may have a negative effect on academic standing, satisfactory academic progress, financial aid, and student account balance. Students who wish to officially withdraw from individual course(s) but remain enrolled in others must initiate  the official withdrawal by contacting the instructor directly in writing. Students are strongly advised to consult with their Academic Advisor and the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing. Withdrawing from a course may have a negative effect on academic standing, satisfactory academic progress, financial aid, and student account balance. The student’s official last date of attendance will be the date the student notified the college official.

Steps to Drop/Withdraw Courses
The procedure for changes in schedules should be followed as outlined below:

1. The Drop/Withdrawal form must be obtained in the Student Affairs Office or online.
2. The student must take the completed Drop/Withdrawal form to the Student Affairs Office for processing. The Financial Aid staff will determine how the drop/withdrawal will affect the student’s financial aid award and whether the financial aid will cover all costs resulting from the change.
3. A new schedule will be printed and given to the student. The student is responsible for any additional costs.
4. A Drop/Withdrawal form must be used for any student dropping a class during the drop/no harm no foul period.
5. A student withdrawing after the first three instructional days of the term must contact the instructor and the instructor will submit the appropriate withdrawal information.

Financial Aid Considerations
Academic deficiencies or withdrawal from a class may have an adverse effect on financial aid eligibility. It is recommended that every student consult with an Information Specialist and his or her academic advisor to determine the effect that a failing grade or withdrawal from class may have on continuing financial aid eligibility.

Work Ethics

To be effective, technical education must include two key elements. First, it must provide training and experiences that approximate, as nearly as possible, the conditions found in the actual work place. Of equal importance, an effective technical education program must identify and develop those personal characteristics often referred to as “good work habits.” These characteristics include regular attendance, punctuality, dependability, initiative, attitude, cooperation, respect, character, appearance, productivity and teamwork. Studies show that 85 percent of the people who lose their jobs do so because they lack good work habits, rather than appropriate job skills.

Savannah Technical College has therefore developed a system to promote, teach and evaluate “work ethics” in each occupational program. Work ethics grades are reported each semester and are recorded as a separate grade on the student’s permanent record. Work ethics grades will be placed to the immediate right of the academic letter grades.

WORK ETHICS GRADE
3 Exceeds Expectations – work ethics performance was exemplary. Student has consistently demonstrated characteristics that would stand out in the work environment.
2 Meets Expectations – all work ethics standards were met. The quality of student’s work ethics performance is that of a good employee in the normal work environment.
1 Needs Improvement – some work ethics standards were not met. Additional training in employ-ability skills is recommended.
0 Unacceptable – work ethics performance was below average. Additional training in employ-ability skills is a must if the student is to survive in the work environment.

What Are Work Ethics?

• A POSITIVE attitude toward your job, your customers, your co-workers and your employer
• A POSITIVE and CONSISTENT set of behaviors that indicate you want to exceed the expectations of your customers, your co-workers and your employer

WORK ETHICS TRAITS:

Appearance:

• Appropriate dress
• Grooming
• Hygiene
• Etiquette

Attendance:

• Understands the importance of attendance
• Understands the importance of punctuality
• Attends class on time
• Leaves class on time
• Notifies instructor in advance of planned absences
• Makes up assignments punctually

Attitude:

• Demonstrates a positive attitude
• Appears self-confident
• Has realistic expectations of self

Character:

• Loyalty
• Honesty
• Trustworthiness
• Dependability
• Reliability
• Initiative
• Self-discipline
• Self-responsibility

Communication:

• Understanding the importance of good communication skills
• Understands how nonverbal communications skills affect overall communication in the classroom and at work
• Uses effective listening techniques
• Uses proper oral communication skills

Cooperation:

• Displays leadership skills
• Practices good conflict-management skills
• Demonstrates problem-solving capabilities
• Maintains good working relationships with supervisors and co-workers
• Follows the company’s chain of command

Organization:

• Manifests skill in prioritizing and management of time and stress
• Demonstrates flexibility in handling change

Productivity:

• Follows safety practices
• Conserves materials
• Keeps work area neat and clean
• Follows directions and procedures
• Makes up assignments punctually
• Participates

Respect:

• Deals appropriately with cultural/racial diversity
• Does no engage in harassment of any kind

Teamwork:

• Respects Confidentiality
• Team worker
• Cooperative
• Assertive
• Displays a customer service attitude
• Seeks opportunities for continuous learning
• Demonstrates mannerly behavior

Grade Access

How to Access Your Grades

Grades are posted three days after the end of each semester. The web final grade display contains academic and work ethics grades, current semester GPA, cumulative GPA, academic standing, and other academic information.

1. Log on to your Banner account.
   • Click on the Students link on the top of our home page.
   • Choose the Banner link under Web Tools & Support.
   • Select the Enter Secure Area link.
   • Log into your Banner account using your student 900# or your SSN as your username and your birthdate in MMDDYY format as your PIN.
2. Click on “Student & Financial Aid”.
3. Click on “Student Records”.
4. Click on the following to access your:
   • “Final Grades” – At the term screen, select the appropriate semester and click on “Display Grades”.
   • “Academic Transcript” (Unofficial) and “Transfer Credits”– Select transcript level, type remains “Official Electronic Transcript”, then click on “Submit”.
5. To print grades and transcripts, press the “Ctrl” button and the letter “P”.
6. Select “exit” in the top right hand corner to close and exit the secure area.

If you encounter difficulty in accessing your grades, please contact the Registrar’s Office by phone at 912.443.5521 or 912.443.5708 or visit the Student Affairs Office at your campus.